What are antioxidants?
Antioxidants are molecules that protect cells from free radical damage (we’ll get to what they are in a moment), and they play an important role in maintaining our health.
Antioxidants inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that leads to the formation of free radicals, and are essential for preventing liver damage and restoring liver health.
Your DNA can be damaged by oxidation, which some research suggests may play a role in the aging process. Therefore, one of the most important health benefits of antioxidants is their ability to protect cells from oxidative stress.
Antioxidants have been part of our diets for millions of years, but their role was not discovered until the early 20th century.
So what are free radicals?
Free radical cells are molecules too, but they are produced when your body breaks down food or is exposed to severe pollution, radiation, or cigarette smoke (to name a few).
Your body is constantly producing free radicals. However, when they are produced in excess, your liver becomes overworked and unable to detoxify them efficiently and effectively, leading to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and many other diseases.
We have antioxidants to thank because without them, our livers cannot function properly, ultimately leading to fatal damage.
The image below shows a typical stable molecule (blue) next to a free radical because it lacks electrons (purple).
A stable normal molecule (left) and one lacking electrons (right). From www.shutterstock.com
Are all free radicals harmful?
Before you read any further: No, not all free radicals are bad for your body. Free radicals actually play a vital role in maintaining human health.
For example, to fight infection, our immune cells use free radicals. Therefore, it is important to keep your liver healthy to balance the number of antioxidants and free radical cells in your body.
How can we reduce the number of free radicals in our body? Well, the first step in understanding what free radicals are has been completed. Now you just need to know how to take care of your internal body to prevent these diseases from multiplying.
1. Limit processed meats and foods containing preservatives
Why? Because many processed foods in the diet are very dangerous, and there is compelling evidence that they cause cancer as well as cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, and diabetes. All of these can lead to a decrease in liver function, causing fat to accumulate in the liver, allowing toxins to accumulate and multiply.
2. Limit red meat intake
Not many people know why too much red meat can be harmful, especially since it’s unprocessed. However, red meat can increase bad cholesterol levels because it contains high amounts of saturated fat. Anything that contains a lot of fat can be harmful to the liver, causing fat deposits and the organ not being able to detoxify it efficiently enough, causing toxins to build up.
3. Reduce alcohol consumption
Alcohol triggers the pancreas to produce toxic substances, making the liver’s task of metabolizing alcohol ten times harder. Alcohol is also high in calories and can eventually lead to fat accumulation in the liver.
4. Make sure you eat antioxidant-rich foods
Always try to eat foods rich in antioxidants. Some examples of foods include broccoli, blueberries, carrots, spinach, avocado, beets, etc.
These foods bring many other benefits, but foods rich in antioxidants are important because they neutralize free radicals in your cells.
A healthy diet is very important for the proper functioning of the body and should definitely be incorporated into your lifestyle.
5. Exercise
One of the great advantages of exercise is its positive effect on metabolism. Physical activity also increases muscle mass, allowing the body to burn calories faster, even at rest.
Types of Antioxidants and Their Different Effects
No doubt there are probably hundreds of antioxidants, but of course, like everything, there is always a core group.
Antioxidants can be classified as enzymatic antioxidants or non-enzymatic antioxidants.
Enzymatic antioxidants convert pollutants into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). However, non-enzymatic antioxidants work by interrupting the chain reaction of free radicals.
The most important antioxidants are:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin A
- Selenium
- Carotenoids (such as beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin)
Each antioxidant has a different function and is not interchangeable with another antioxidant. This is why a varied diet is so important!
Foods rich in antioxidants
We have briefly touched on some foods that already contain high levels of antioxidants. However, it is important to make changes to your diet to ensure your body is functioning optimally. Let’s take a closer look.
Below is a list of antioxidants and foods that contain them.
- Vitamin A: Dairy products, eggs and liver
- Vitamin C: most fruits and vegetables, especially berries, oranges, and peppers
- Vitamin E: Nuts and seeds, sunflower and other vegetable oils, and green leafy vegetables
- Beta-carotene: Colorful fruits and vegetables such as carrots, peas, spinach, and mangoes
- Lycopene: pink and red fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes and watermelon
- Lutein: Green leafy vegetables, corn, papaya and oranges
- Selenium: Rice, corn, wheat and other whole grains as well as nuts, eggs, cheese and beans
In general, foods with rich, bright colors tend to contain the most antioxidants (blueberries, apples, broccoli, and spinach). However, some hidden sources are dark, such as chocolate and black tea.
Health Benefits of Antioxidants
The health benefits of antioxidants go beyond neutralizing free radicals. They also provide other benefits such as improving skin health, reducing inflammation, preventing cell damage, slowing down the aging process, and more.
The impact antioxidants have on our bodies depends on how much we consume and the quality of the sources. It’s best to get your daily nutrition from natural sources like fruits and vegetables, but there are a variety of supplements that can fit your lifestyle.
Additionally, regular exercise helps to naturally reduce free radical levels, thereby helping us keep our bodies strong.
Do antioxidant supplements help?
Most health experts recommend that people avoid taking high-dose antioxidant supplements, so…
Natural antioxidant foods and beverages reduce oxidative damage better than dietary supplements. In fact, taking large amounts of antioxidant supplements may have the opposite effect. It can impair body functions, increase the risk of disease, and cause birth defects.
However, not exceeding recommended amounts can still help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
The best strategy for ensuring you get enough antioxidants is a diet rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits and healthy habits.
How do antioxidants protect the liver?
The liver is part of the body’s natural detoxification system. It’s one of the body’s most important yet underestimated organs, and antioxidants are a key part of its protection.
Antioxidants help remove toxins from the body and provide support to the liver. Since this organ performs more than 500 important functions, protecting it is particularly important.
As the saying goes: “Take care of your liver and it will take care of you.”
The end result of antioxidants
Our body is amazing and it does so much for us, we should take better care of it and rethink what we are paying for it.
Antioxidants protect our bodies from the damage caused by free radicals, but we still need a good balance between the two to maintain a healthy immune system.
The best strategy is to eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables to get your daily dose of antioxidants.
Deliver-ance is developed with 17 all-natural ingredients sourced from nature, so you get plant-based antioxidants every day to protect your body from free radicals.
